Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Katniss, Prim, Katniss, Peeta, Katniss, Haymitch...Gale?
What is Gale's role in all of this? When I read these books the first time, I underrated Gale's role in the story way too much. Although Gale is not actually with Katniss in the arena, she mentions him in her thoughts a lot. I believe she mentions him in passing when she was setting a snare or something...I can't quite recall. The point is, she doesn't just forget about him. If you think about it, Gale helped train Katniss to become the hunter she is. After all those years of hunting with him, she probably learned a few new tricks that ultimately helped her in the games. In the first book, you really only see Gale in the beginning and in the end. You have an extremely short time to get to know him, yet after I read it, I felt I knew him really well. I'm sure many of you felt the same way. Gale probably helped her win the games. He was what gave her relief that her family would survive if she didn't make it. He was one of the few people who could make her smile. However, he was also the brains behind the bomb that killed Prim. Although the Capitol may have deserved it, his plans were just as twisted as theirs. Everyone that has some kinds of morals in this book dislikes the Capitol. Gale is fueled by rage and hatred, and Katniss doesn't need anymore of that. So my question is, is Gale a good character or a bad character? Is he somewhere in the middle? Does one cancel out the other?
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Hey Sarah :) I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and in response to your question, although I like the character of Gale a lot, I've always felt that he's ultimately a bad influence on Katniss. I mean, he's so anti capitol that he acted like one of those people who felt like Katniss betrayed him when she tried to compromise. The fact that he was mad at her clouds her judgement because she cares about him so much, so even though I love the character, I have to say, I think Katniss may have made better decisions, in and out of the arena, if she wasn't worrying about what Gale thought.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna :) That's a really interesting thought...lots of times, the most intriguing characters are the ones who have multiple sides to them. I have to admire the thought that Collins put into him. I kind of transitioned from being a Gale fan, to a Peeta fan while I read the series. When characters show their true colors, just like in real life, often times people's opinion of them changes. I started liking Peeta in the arena the first time I read the Hunger Games. I also like what you said about Gale effecting Katniss's decisions. However, if Katniss didn't worry about what Gale thought of her, wouldn't that defeat her whole purpose? It would just turn her into the barbaric killer that the Capitol is trying to make all the tributes. Although it is kind of a negative trait, it makes her human. other than that, I completely agree! (About him ultimately being a bad influence.)
ReplyDeleteGreat job Sarah, I really get where you are coming from. I think that Suzanne Collins changed Gale as a charecter from the first to the last book. I feel that at the beggining he sort of replaced her father, he was always there for her, he made her smile, and he taught her so many new things. At the end of the third book he forgot what he loved and focused on what he hated. He turned from a best friend to a killing machine. He was only focusing on the bad and not the good. I wished he once again found the kind hearted, loveing kid he used to be. I feel that he was being very harsh and not thinking before acting by the end of the book. He lost who he really was.
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ReplyDeleteI disagree with you Megan; I feel that Gale did not turn into a killing machine, but rather lost himself. He felt the need to stand up for what he believed in and that was to destroy the Capitol in hopes of restoring Panem to peace.
ReplyDeleteHe jumped blindly into the situation. He tried to create bombs; it was his design. Yet, we have to understand Gale did not know what the bombs were going to be used for. He thought they were going to be used to destroy the Capitol’s “whitehouse”.
They, as in the president of District 12 and the main leaders decided not to tell Gale that the bombs he created, constructed, and finalized were going to kill Prim and her mother. I felt that If Gale knew this small piece of information he would have found a way, no matter what, to prevent the bombing from happening.
As we all know, Gale was so determined and dedicated to destroy the Capitol that he forgot the fact that the president of district 12 were so much older and had planned this revolution for decades; they would use anyone, manipulate and brain wash to do their dirty work. Gale just wanted to help and he lost himself so much in his dedication that he forgot everyone and everything. His heart was in the right place.
As to Sarah’s question I believe Gale is a good character he just had some bumps and falls just as every other character has had. And I repeat Gale’s heart was in the right place. He was not some evil freak who had some sick twisted plan because he didn’t. He was a good person; he just had a severe bump on his judgement call.
I think Gale is a good character, character developement speaking. If he were just some random guy hung up over Katniss, the series would turn into Twilight.
ReplyDeleteIn the Hunger Games, I felt pretty bad for Gale, considering that I thought he liked Katniss and then she was probably going to die. At the very least, he thought of her as a best friend. I agree with Sarah about how you seem to understand what sort of person Gale is from the one book, even though he appears only occasionally.
Even though he turned out to be a jerk with good intentions in the third book, I think that Suzanne Collins developed his character well. The fact that there was a lot that was omitted about him in the first two books made the third all the more shocking, because we were realizing things about him just as Katniss was.
Elsie, even if the bombs were being used for the right reason on the right people, it doesn't make it right! The fact that Gale's mind was twisted enough to come up with a bomb that wasn't fatal enough to kill on the first blast, but killed everything and everyone in the second blast is not at all what I would describe as a "good" character. War is war, and nothing about it is right. And about what you said about him having a severe bump on his judgement call, if anyone has a bump THAT severe, I'm not sure that they were ever really good in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, i mean he is a good character. He did help Katniss fed her family by helping her hunt. And you said so yourself "war is war and nothing about it is right". So even if someone's intentions are good, war makes them seem cruel when in reality you're just trying to survive.
ReplyDeleteIf one mistake makes the character turn from good to "bad" then what is Peeta?
Peeta persuaded Katniss, Wraped her up in the mess of being star crossed lovers. When in reality Katniss did not want to be in love or have any association with Peeta and what does do? He makes her feel guilty about trying to murder him in the hunger games and tries to save him. His love to Katniss was never faithful. Sometimes i felt even wary of his actions.
How do you deal with someone you can trust but only to some certain distance.
Gale was ALWAYS there. He was always a shoulder to cry on or someone to tell your most hateful comments about the Capitol. He was always the good character, the war just brought out the worst in people. Katniss was willing to kill anyone and kill herself if worst came to worst; Gale just made weapons that were NEVER intended on kids. He was and is good hearted and he is in my view a good character.